Backstage Pass

The British rapper Jamie T falls somewhere between Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen and The Streets, and while his accent is thicker than all theirs combined, you can clearly hear the anger, sadness and sputtered obscenities on his debut disc, "Panic Prevention" (Caroline).

A critical hit in England -- he was nominated for the UK's Nationwide Music Prize and recently played the famous Glastonbury festival -- Jamie T raps/sings mostly about the rough-and-tumble life of Britain's young drinking class. He's still relatively unknown here in the States, but he's making one of his first appearances in this country with a much-anticipated show at The Bowery Ballroom on Thursday.

For a sample of Jamie T's intriguing blend of dyspeptic hip-hop and wistful pop, get a free download of his song "Salvador" here, or check out the new video for "Sheila," below, featuring the British actor Bob Hoskins doing his best rap-lip-synch.